Interesting Facts | Muscle Car Fan

1971 Dodge Charger Daytona in a showroom, showcasing its sleek white design and iconic nose cone.

1971 Dodge Charger Daytona with a Sunroof & Hemi Engine Sound

Dodge never actually built a 1971 Charger Daytona — the aero-warrior program ended after 1970. Gary and Pam Beineke built one anyway, using documentation of an actual Chrysler prototype, then added a 472 Six Pack, a Bi-wing spoiler, a pistol-grip five-speed, and, improbably, a sunroof. Completed in 2001 and shown at the Muscle Car and Corvette Nationals, it’s a recreation detailed enough to make Mopar loyalists stop and ask questions. Watch to see how close two people got to building the car Chrysler almost made.

A blue 1970 Plymouth 'Cuda AAR with distinctive stripes.

Breakdown/ History: 1970 Plymouth ‘Cuda AAR in EB5 Blue

by Wes

This 1970 Plymouth ‘Cuda AAR in EB5 Blue wears the signature strobe stripe and free-breathing 340 Six Pack that Plymouth built specifically to homologate the car for SCCA Trans-Am racing. Genuine AAR ‘Cudas carry a distinct VIN sequence that separates them from tribute cars wearing the same graphics, and this one checks out. Restored and offered through V8 Speed & Resto Shop, it’s a reminder that some of the era’s best-looking muscle cars started life as racing paperwork. Watch to see what a homologation special looks like done right.

1973 Buick Century GS Sport Coupe in gold with 455 engine.

1973 Buick Century Gran Sport GS Stage 1 in Gold & 455 Engine Sound

by Wes

Phil Roitman’s 1973 Buick Century Gran Sport Stage 1 just earned a perfect 1,000-out-of-1,000 score at the Muscle Car and Corvette Nationals, and commenters say its 455-cubic-inch idle might be the best-sounding exhaust note from any 1973 car, period. Roitman has owned the Harvest Gold Gran Sport since 2005 — and he holds another distinction too, having been the very first guest ever filmed for this YouTube series four years before this appearance. Watch to hear the engine note that has viewers arguing Buick built the real sleeper of 1973.

A red 1965 Chevrolet Malibu SS convertible with white interior.

History/Breakdown: 1965 Chevrolet Malibu SS 396 Z16

by Wes

Chevrolet built only 201 examples of the 1965 Chevelle Malibu SS Z16, and this Rally Red survivor may be one of an estimated 65 still around today. Under the hood sits the 375-horsepower L37 396, a detuned cousin of the Corvette’s L78, backed by a Muncie four-speed and an options list — tilt wheel, four-speaker stereo, 160-mph speedometer — that reads more like a luxury package than a muscle car spec sheet. One commenter even claims to own car number 40 of the original 201. Watch to see what made the Z16 Chevrolet’s quiet halo car.

A green vintage car with the text about painting costs.

How Much Does It Cost To Paint A Car?

by Wes

Ask ten muscle car owners what a quality repaint should cost and you’ll get ten different answers — some of them off by thousands of dollars. One refinishing shop tackled the question head-on with numbers that immediately split its comment section, with some viewers pricing out paint classes as a cheaper alternative. Watch to find out what actually separates a 2,000 dollar respray from a 10,000 dollar one.

2018 Dodge Challenger T/A 392 in green driving on a road.

2018 Dodge Challenger T/A 392 Test Drive

by Wes

Justin Pritchard puts a 2018 Dodge Challenger T/A 392 through its paces for AutoTrader Canada, opening with a Call of Duty comparison that’s since become one of the most quoted lines in the car’s comments. Owners weigh in on second-gear thrills, twisty-road composure, and where this trim sits against the pricier Hellcat. A currency mix-up over the car’s roughly sixty-one-thousand-dollar price tag adds its own twist. Watch to see why so many buyers call this the sweet spot.

Classic 1955 Plymouth car in vibrant red on display with informational placards.

1965 Plymouth Barracuda Formula S Unrestored with 5804

by Wes

This 1965 Plymouth Barracuda Formula S has just 5,804 original miles — and after two careful owners spanning nearly six decades, this was its first car show ever. Owner Ron George’s dad got him and his brother into Mopars as kids, and this unrestored survivor even has commenters debating a muffler note that later model years reportedly lost. Watch to see what nearly six decades of restraint actually looks like.

1968 Ford Mustang GT Fastback in green with black stripes.

1968 Ford Mustang GT Fastback in Lime Gold Green & Engine Sound

by Wes

Cliff Batson calls himself a Chevy guy — but he’s owned this 1968 Ford Mustang GT Fastback in an unusual shade of Lime Gold since 1990, and it’s never left his garage. Under the hood is a drivetrain combo collectors still chase decades later, and the body shares its shape with the most famous car chase in movie history. Watch to find out why a self-described Chevy guy never let this Ford go.

1965 Chevy Impala SS 1/2 car showcased in white.

Review & History: 1965 Chevorlet Impala SS 396 425

by Wes

This 1965 Chevrolet Impala SS carries the rare RPO L78 396 engine, factory-rated at 425 horsepower and backed by a 4-speed manual — a combination that may survive in as few as five convertible examples today. Two commenters share their own family histories with the exact same drivetrain. Watch for the burnout at the end that one viewer calls the king of all time.

A 2018 Ford Mustang GT performing a burnout on a desert road.

2018 Ford Mustang GT Premium Reviewed

by Wes

Ryan takes the 2018 Ford Mustang GT Premium into the California desert to test its sound modes, 10-speed automatic, launch control, and line lock — then issues a mid-review correction on how it actually stacks up against the Camaro SS. Watch to see why this review is still drawing comparisons to the Challenger Scat Pack years later.

Carburetor being disassembled and cleaned on a workbench.

Carburetor vs Fuel Injection – Summit Racing 101

by Wes

Carburetor or fuel injection — which one actually makes sense for your build? Summit Racing’s Dave breaks down 2-barrel, spreadbore, and race carburetors against modern EFI, and the comments below are full of real builders working through the same decision on their own cars. Watch to see where the technical trade-offs actually land.

A yellow muscle car displayed at a Mecum auction with a crowd watching.

Multi-Million Dollar Muscle Cars SOLD at Mecum Kissimmee 2016

by Wes

Mecum’s January 2016 Kissimmee auction closed with more than 91 million dollars in sales across ten days, led by four Hemi-powered Mopar convertibles that combined for over 7.5 million dollars. A 78 percent sell-through rate and a 30 percent year-over-year jump in totals made it the highest-grossing sale in company history. See the full top-10 list and what each car brought.

A bright green 1968 Dodge Charger R/T parked on a driveway.

1968-1970 Dodge Charger R/T – Perfect Styling & Performance

by Wes

Long before Hollywood made it famous in Bullitt and The Dukes of Hazzard, the 1968-1970 Dodge Charger R/T had already earned its reputation the hard way — with a 440 Magnum standard, an optional 426 Hemi, and a coke-bottle body that still defines muscle car styling today. Read on for what the R/T badge actually meant under the sheet metal.

Vintage green pickup truck parked on grass near buildings.

For sale by Owner 1964 Corvair Pickup w/ 350 Chevy Auto

by Pat C

Chevrolet’s rear-engine Corvair pickup only existed for a handful of years, which makes finding one at all unusual. Finding one retrofitted with a 350 small-block and automatic transmission — while keeping its original paint and body intact — is rarer still. This for-sale-by-owner listing skips the dramatic reveal shots for an honest, straightforward look at a genuinely oddball survivor. Take a look at what a practical drivetrain swap did for this unusual little truck.

1971 Pontiac Trans Am 455 HO muscle car in blue.

1971 Pontiac Firebird Trans Am

by Wes

Pontiac’s engineers had exactly one model year, 1971, to keep the Trans Am feeling like a genuine performance car just as emissions regulations began squeezing horsepower across the entire industry. This episode of V8TV’s Muscle Car of the Week digs into the functional shaker scoop, the 455 HO big-block, and a wider color palette that included Lucerne Blue alongside the more common white. One family that has owned six different Firebirds across two decades still calls their white ’71 the favorite. Watch to find out why this specific year keeps winning the argument.

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